The present invention relates to barettes for clamping hair and more particularly to metallic barettes manufactured by sheet metal stamping processes and having a structure amenable to low cost and highly automated production as compared with more conventional barette structures of this type.
Though barette structures comprised entirely of components made by metal stampings are known and have a long history, hitherto the structural details of the more conventional barettes have not embodied maximum efficiency in material usage with much of the sheet metal stock being wasted as blank space between the stamping dies. This is due in large part to the requirements of the end portions of the barettes which must carry various appendages for hinged and locking engagements between corresponding ends of the two elongate clamping members from which the barette is comprised. As these are usually formed by stamping metal extending laterally to either side of the metal strip which forms the main body of the eventual clamping member, the material extending longitudinally between the lateral extremities is usually unexploited and discarded.
To attain a greater efficiency of material usage, the barette structure of the present invention employs separately formed inserts carrying hinging and locking appendages that are snap engaged within cooperating receiving spaces formed on opposite ends of the main clamping member. As both the main strip of the clamping member and the inserts can be formed by stamping operations on sheet metal strips of comparable width with the finished elements, little or no material is wasted. Moreover, the barettes can be formed by stamping operations on continuous strips using multi-stage dies, allowing for a highly automated and rapid production.